Should Trump have called FIFA about USMNT red card? Tell us. | Opinion
If you are not a soccer fan and are trying not to pay attention to the World Cup, I am sorry, but the president of the United States has now made that impossible.
You might have been able to ignore a lot of things about the once-every-four-year tournament. Like how it had more teams than ever (48) or has three hosts for the first time (the U.S., Mexico and Canada).
Or how people howled about tickets priced in the hundreds and even thousands of dollars. Or fantastically funny and touching stories about foreigners standing in awe of our megastores and how nice Americans were to them.
Or how the games have been thrilling with underdogs pushing traditional soccer powers to their limits – and in some cases beating them. Or how the U.S. team is making a historic run, finishing first in their group and in their first knock-out round game on July 1, beat the team from Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0.
But even those uninterested in soccer likely heard how the win was less joyous because America's leading scorer, Folarin Balogun, was shown a red card after inadvertently stepping on a Bosnian defender's ankle. That card (thought by many, including myself, to be unnecessarily harsh) brought a punishment of ejection from the game and suspension from the next round's July 6 match against Belgium.
And even if you are trying to block out all things soccer, you might have read how Balogun showed remarkable poise and grace after the card.
And I bet you have heard how soccer's governing body, FIFA, on July 5 made an unexpected (but happy in my mind) decision to allow Balogun to play against Belgium.
And now we all definitely have heard how President Donald Trump interjected himself into the situation, calling FIFA President Gianni Infantino about changing that punishment.
Was the USMNT red card fair? Should Trump have called FIFA? Take our poll below.
Meanwhile, the discussion has veered from sports and fairness to international relations and corruption. The only thing really left to do is to toss it over to you, our USA TODAY readers, to hear what you have to say about this bizarre and twisting World Cup tale.
Tell us if you are normally interested in soccer and what you think of the tournament up until now. What do you think of the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team's performance – and of Balogun's red card? Was it justified? What did you think of his reaction? And what do you think about his punishment being changed after Trump's intervention?
Scroll down to submit your answers, or send us an email at forum@usatoday.com using the subject line "Forum Trump FIFA." You can also leave us a voicemail at (202) 655-3923. We'll publish a collection of your responses, so we may reach out to you about yours.
Joel Burgess is a Voices editor for USA TODAY Opinion.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Should Trump have called FIFA about USMNT red card? Tell us. | Opinion
Reporting by Joel Burgess, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 2:48 PM.